The son of Chinese immigrants, John Kao studied philosophy as an undergraduate, learned psychiatry in medical school and honed his corporate smarts at Harvard Business School, where he later taught a class on his passion--innovation--to generations of students. Kao is also a music aficionado and has served as Frank Zappa's apprentice, as well as contributed to production teams for two movies and a Broadway play.

Kao, who has served as an adviser to parties ranging from the Singapore government to New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, is the author of Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back (2007). In the book, he emphasizes the importance of infusing a workplace with fresh, cutting-edge ideas in the face of a complacent, lagging U.S. economy. Kao is currently the CEO of Kao & Co., a firm that teaches companies how to brainstorm and implement creative ventures.